DrDre

Yes, that stormtrooper shot still needs some fine tuning.

towne32 said:

Though we’re focusing on this frame, I find that much of this scene has a similar weirdness to it (including the view looking out from R2’s cave. I think settings should probably be determined taking multiple shots into account.

What I usually do, is that I correct the same frame on the print to this reference frame, and then correct the other frames in the scene with that color correction model, which should then yield the references for the other shots in the scene. This way the color grading for the scene will be consistent, aside from a few tiny adjustments, related to correcting anomalies in the print scans.

I must say, that the print scans are not always up to par, and require quite a bit of correction. Working on this, I can also appreciate how difficult Harmy’s job was color grading the Despecialized Edition, based on those scans. I’m not sure how NeverarGreat deals with the issues of the print scans, but it’s a lot of work. 😉 For example, the shots of the stormtroopers discovering the pod look terribly overexposed on the scans, and nothing like the bluray, which is really dark for this scene:

So, in the end I had to correct the shot using production stills to guide me:

Leading to this color grade:

Did you look at references for Despecialized v2.6?

My take on this frame is, that the color of the blue sky can only be seen at unrealisticly low contrast levels for a high definition release. In other words it can only be seen when projected in the movie theatre, because film has a much higher color depth, or on a low contrast home video release like the JSC laserdisc, but not on your HDTV at the proper bluray contrast settings, without appearing artificial.

Somehow I felt none of the previous versions of that frame has that photorealistic quality. There all too monochrome and lack depth. So, I decided to do a google search, to see if I could find a movie still, that feels right. I found one that’s perfect for me:

This movie still imo has the proper skin tone, color of Obi-Wan’s robe, and depth, so I decided to use it as a reference for regrade v3.

Bluray:

Bluray regraded v3:

Dreamaster said:
OMG! Use that! Your version 2 added a blue tint to the mountains, which this shot doesn’t have.

IMO the problem with that version is that the blue sky makes it almost seem like a composite shot. The foreground and background don’t blend. I’ve updated v2 slighty, to match the LPP version.

Spaced Ranger said:
If the Star Wars sequence cross-cut shots look good together … all having the same sky color … then that’s what to go with.

I agree, but we’ve been able to confirm the accuracy of the corrected Senator photos with -1’s LPP.

Here the same frame from one of the previews of the SSE before they did their color correction, and it indeed matches up very well with v2, so v2 it is:

Correcting the Senator frame for the inevitable green shift inherent to Technicolor prints, contrast, and saturation, yields the following comparison between my first and second regrading attempt.

Bluray:

Bluray regraded v1:

Bluray regraded v2:

It is possible to closely match the Senator photo:

The problem matching directly to the JSC is, that like all of the early video releases it is low contrast. This basically means it won’t look good if you don’t do a gamma correction, after which it will look very different.

Yes, it appears you are more or less correct about the blue, or actually pink/purple sky. The Technicolor references we’ve been using has some issues. It has both green and pink shifts.

Here’s the Senator print photo, which is very bright though:

To add to the confusion, here’s what it looks like on the JSC laserdisc:

towne32 said:

Yeah, that one’s tricky. I really don’t like it when it gets too monochromatic or bleached out, but the BD is dark and weird.

If I recall, the SSE showed that the Eastman print probably looked pretty reasonable.

That shot is also pretty bright and washed out on the Technicolor print references, but I tried to restore some dynamic, which is a challenge, because the bluray doesn’t give you much latitude.

Another difficult one to pull off, but I think it worked out nicely. Here’s the first Obi-Wan shot.

Bluray:

Bluray regraded:

Thanks! Here’s another shot from the Tantive IV sequence:

Bluray:

Bluray regraded:

Here’s another Tatooine shot, that will look dramatically different for the regrade.

Bluray:

Bluray regraded:

TV’s Frink said:

Any one of them is free to defend themselves or the team here. They just can’t hide behind the team account to do it. What’s the problem with that?

The problem is that they as a group are guilty until proven innocent. At least, that’s how it appears, by keeping the ban on the team account.

Edit: I’m not part of the team, but I personally feel judgement was handed out too swiftly.

Jay said:

The only member from TN1 who has offered any explanation of these events to me personally is Williarob. I lifted the ban on negative1’s account, so he can post here if he likes. Any other member of TN1 is also welcome to post. The ban on the team account will remain in effect.

No disrespect, but if I was being permanently banned, and publicly hanged out to dry, without being allowed to respond to an accusation first, which appears to have happened, I would also be less inclined to explain myself. Why does the burden of proof lie with TN1?

To RU.08

I agree, but my main point is, that these discussions about guilt should have taken place before a permanent ban, and not after it. While, it is possible that our esteemed moderators know more than we do, it does appear that TN1 got the short hand of the stick.

Yes, they did, but they appear to have the blessing of the person that paid for, and owned the scan. Apparently, TN1 wrongly assumed “person 3” wouldn’t have a problem with this. It’s fair to say, they should have explicitly asked permission from “person 3” to be sure. Both TN1 and “person 2” have been labeled as untrustworthy or worse. However, I don’t see much evidence of malicious intent or unethical behaviour, at least not to the extend that was presented to us. What does appear to be the case, is that when MikeV and/or “person 3” found out TN1 were using the scan in question, rather than asking TN1 to stop their activity, and remove any references to it, they contacted OT.com with their complaint, and TN1 was banned without due process.

I think it’s pretty clear that TN1’s alleged unethical behaviour is in dispute. The fact remains that they were banned, and their repution has been tarnished. As far as I can see a permanent ban is a last resort, and should certainly not be based on disputed accusations, at least not before each party has been able to present their evidence. This has nothing to do with team accounts, personal feelings regarding TN1, or any one of the members of the team. Anyone of us should have the right to defend themselves, when accused of unethical behaviour. The team has been publicly flogged for their alleged indiscretions. If one of it’s members says, he has evidence to the contrary, I believe the moderators of OT.com should give it serious consideration.

This still will serve as the inspiration for my regrade of The Empire Strikes Back, when the time comes:

I say let’s get back on-topic. Williarob will get a superior scan, as a “parting gift” from poita, and the Silverscreen Edition will be better for it. So, whatever happens, there will be a good quality, high resolution version of Star Wars available to enjoy, and fiddle with. Meanwhile, Mike Verta will hopefully get his chance to present his restoration to the powers that be, which offers the best chance of an official release (theatrical for the 40th Anniversary?), and the restoration and release of the other two films in the trilogy. So, despite some drama, things are looking pretty damn good.

Ps. Let’s not forget about Harmy’s Despecialized 3.0!

I’m happy to report I’ve come up with a filter that is very effective at getting rid of that pesky color noise. I really like this regrade, especially considering how awful the bluray looks for this shot (any shot really). The sand looks like sand, and R2-D2 and C-3PO are the way I remember them. 😃

Ps. Note how in the bluray C-3PO is almost the same color as the sand.

Bluray:

Bluray regraded:

Bluray regraded with color noise filter:

There’s still some fine tuning, but I believe I’m getting there… 😉